Carrying bag



June 4, 1963 1.. T. MARTIN 3,092,223

CARRYING BAG Filed July 11, 1960 INVENTOR Z50 7. Mfl/Ff/N ATTORNEYUnited States Patent 3,092,223 CARRYING BAG Leo T. Martin, Brooklyn,N.Y., assignor to Ahercrombie & Fitch Company, New York, N.Y. Filed July11, 1960, Ser. No. 41,810 1 Claim. (Cl. 190--1) This invention relatesto a carrying bag and, more particularly, to a carrying bag for bootsand the like, which has integrally formed with it a foot mat which isimpervious to water.

The conventional or normal carrier for boots, of the type worn byfishermen, is limited in utility as it does not include a facility forpermitting a fisherman to keep his feet dry while changing from theboots to regular footwear. Consequently, while changing from one type offootwear to another, he must provide some article to stand on, or hemust stand on the ground surface, or he must balance himself on one footand then the other. Obviously, this is most inconvenient.

Accordingly, it is a first object of the invention to provide a carry ngcase for boots which includes, as an integral part, a foot mat which isimpervious to water and which is of sufiicient size, at least, toaccommodate a person in the standing position to permit him to changefrom one form of footwear to another.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carrying case forboots including a mat which is crack resistant, foldable and lightweightbut durable enough to withstand the weight of a person.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided .acollapsible canvas bag of a generally rec tangular parallelepiped shape.The bag is provided with sufficient space to accommodate a pair ofboots. The invention is characterized by a mat, impervious to water,which is attached to an edge of a portion of the bag. When the bag isopen, the mat, which is sufficient in size to accommodate a person inthe standing position, may be unfolded outwardly from the bag to layflat on a surface, such as the ground.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention andthe manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the inventionitself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptionof an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carrying bag when closed; and,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the carrying bag when open and withthe mat unfolded.

Referring to the drawing, the novel carrying bag generally indicated at1 is preferably made of a light-weight material, such as canvas. The baghas .a top 2, a bottom 3, sides 4, 5 and a back panel 6. The forwardportion of the bag is formed of overlapping flaps 11, 12, 13 and 14,which are continuations of the portions 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively.Preferably, the inner walls of the bag are covered with a plasticmaterial to render them leakproof.

When closed, as shown in FIGURE 1, the bag has a rectangularparallelepiped shape. A pair of spaced apart straps 7 and 8 are passedaround the bag and the ends are secured together in the buckles 9. Atthe top 2, the straps 7 and 8 pass through a handle 10, which isprovided to facilitate carrying of the bag.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, the bag is opened by first opening the straps7 and 8, and then folding back the flaps 11, 12, 13 and 14. Acompartment or space is provided behind the flaps for a pair of boots,which for simplicity is not shown.

A mat 15, preferably rectangularly shaped, is secured along one edge tothe outer edge of the flap 14, for example, by stitching. While it ispreferred permanently to retain the mat to the flap 14 by stitching, itmay also be retained by fasteners, hooks and eyes, rivets, or zipper.

The mat is formed of a water impervious material, such as oilcloth. Itis also lightweight, but of sufiicient durability to withstand theweight of a person. Furthermore, it is crack resistant and foldable.

When unfolded, as shown in FIGURE 2, the area of the mat isapproximately six times the area of the flap 14. However, it may belarger or smaller, but should be of sufiicient size to permit a personto stand on it. The person standing on the mat can remove his boots fromhis feet, place them in the compartment of the carrying bag and put hisregular footwear on his feet without being required to place his feet onthe ground, which may be damp or wet, or, without having to balancehimself on one foot.

In closing the bag, the mat 15 is first folded along the dotted lineA-A, then along the dotted line BB, and then along the dotted line C-C.The mat is then folded on top of the fiap 14, which is in turn foldedinto the bag. The remaining flaps are folded into the bag in reverseorder, 13, 12 and 11, and the straps are secured.

While the foregoing description sets forth the principles of theinvention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be understoodthat this description is made only by way of example and not as alimitation of the scope of the invention as set forth in the objectsthereof and in the accompanying claim.

What is claimed is:

A boot carrier comprising a collapsible bag having a bottom and foursides defining an open container, overlapping flaps integrally extendingfrom each of said sides, respectively, the overlapping flaps completelyenclosing the open portion of said container thereby defining anenclosed hollow space for a pair of boots, the inside facing surfaces ofsaid sides, bottom and overlapping flaps comprising .a water imperviousmaterial, a foldable mat attached to one of said flaps for accommodatinga person in the standing position while changing footwear, said matbeing wider and longer than the connected flap and attached at anintermediate edge portion to said flap, the mat portions extendingbeyond said intermediate edge portion being foldable inwardly alongrespective lines constituting imaginary extensions of two opposite edgesof said connected flap, the folded mat being further foldable towardssaid intermediate edge, whereby when said mat is fully folded, itoccupies approximately the same flat area as said connected flap, themat being folded on the inside of said connected flap and all of saidflaps being folded in overlapping position to close said bag, and strapmeans extending completely around said bag to maintain it in the closedcondition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS783,811 Allen Feb. 28, 1905 2,034,369 Bayer Mar. 17, 1936 FOREIGNPATENTS 66,620 Switzerland Nov. 25, 1913 473,008 France Sept. 1, 191428,323 Australia Aug. 21, 1930

